Reviews of Prog Rock, Classical Music, Art Rock and Jazz
'Inclination', the first track on Steven Wilson's seventh solo album, The Harmony Codex was released in a limited edition 12 inch single, remixed by Ewan Pearson, on 19 January 2024. Pearson describes himself on his website as a 'Producer, Mixer and Remixer.' Pearson previously remixed Wilson's upbeat pop song 'Permanating' (from 2017's To the Bone) in …
Continue reading "Off the Beaten track #9 – Inclination by Steven Wilson (Ewan Pearson Remix)"
According to the Collins English Dictionary, a moonflower is: 'any of several night-blooming convolvulaceous plants, especially the white- flowered Calonyction (or Ipomoea) aculeatum.' Two moonflowers, copyright Ed! (Photography). Source - Wikimedia Commons But the new single from the Dutch gothic metal band Blackbriar (featuring singer songwriter Marjana Semkina who is also a member of iamthemorning), uses the moonflower not in its …
Continue reading "Off the Beaten Track #8: Moonflower by Blackbriar featuring Marjana Semkina"
The latest single from London-based prog rock band, Hats Off Gentlemen It's Adequate is taken from their eighth studio album The Uncertainty Principle due to be released later in 2024. It's called One Word That Means The World (Vasily Arkhipov). The band enjoy a high concept for their songs - their previous album The Light …
The cover of Spine, from which My Blood is Gold is taken. The Danish composer, vocalist and classically trained multi-instrumentalist, Amalie Bruun, released her debut album under her own name in 2006. In 2011 she formed the indie pop band Ex Cops, a duo, with Brian Harding. The band split in 2014, and she started …
Continue reading "Off the Beaten Track #6: My Blood is Gold by Myrkur"
If Steven Wilson had written a song called December Skies in the early years of his band Porcupine Tree it would have been a dreamy, spacey extended jam with poetic, earnestly abstract lyrics. For later Porcupine Tree it would have been an angst-ridden, prog-metal song, probably featuring lyrics about disaffected teenagers or a serial killer. …
Continue reading "Off the Beaten Track Christmas Special: December Skies by Steven Wilson"
Peter Hammill, lead singer with the English prog rock band Van der Graaf Generator wrote the song 'Autumn' for his 1977 solo album Over before he was thirty, but it is imbued with the wisdom and sadness of a much older man. Many of the tracks on Over mourn the loss of a long-term relationship, …
Continue reading "Off the Beaten Track #4: Autumn by Peter Hammill"
'Start Again' is the first single from the forthcoming album by Beatrix Players, Living & Alive. The song is about founding member, lead singer and main songwriter Amy Birks, re-forming the band after a hiatus following the first album Magnified released in March 2017. Since then, Birks has released two solo albums, All That I …
Continue reading "Off the Beaten Track #3: Start Again by Beatrix Players"
Art-rock band no-man were founded in 1987 when Steven Wilson and Tim Bowness started writing music together. They briefly flirted with mainstream success in 1990 when their single release colours was Single Of The Week in Melody Maker and Sounds, leading to record label and publishing deals. Wilson went on to have much more success …
Continue reading "Off the Beaten Track # 2: Pigeon Drummer by no-man"
The first in a new series of reviews of individual tracks that are well worth a listen The core of the modestly-named prog rock band Hats Off Gentlemen it's Adequate consists of Malcolm Galloway (vocalist, multi-instrumentalist and producer) and Mark Gatland (bass, backing vocals, keyboards and co-producer). Burn the World is the first single from …
Continue reading "Off the Beaten Track # 1: Burn the World by Hats off Gentlemen It’s Adequate"